AG High Performance Tennis

08/12/2022

Agility training doesn’t have to be complex or time consuming. If you want great intent turn it into a game or challenge.

Here is a simple tag variation we do before we get into our hitting work. You have 7 seconds to tag the two other players on your side of the court and you have to stay within the sidelines and baseline.

11/05/2021

I don’t typically use traditional Olympic lifts with my tennis players because of the steep learning curve and most have never been exposed to it but I do like to use some variations of them.

The high pull is one of my favorites to use when training for vertical power. It’s a very easy lift to learn so players can usually get the power output we’re looking for in the first few sessions.

11/02/2021

10/14/2021

Doesn’t have to be complicated. Very simple plyo exercise to improve single leg power which we know is crucial for tennis players.

By using the box I can decrease the landing forces and avoid some unnecessary stress.

10/08/2021

You don’t need a lot of space to get faster. The hip turn is a foundational movement pattern every athlete needs to be able to do well. Here I am doing a hip turn to lateral run (crossover).

In tennis, you’ll see this performed often when players are getting lobbed and have to retreat or when players are dropping back for a deep groundstroke.

There are plenty of ways to get faster, improve explosiveness, and your first step when you are stuck in relatively small spaces. Sometimes you just have to get creative.

10/07/2021

Tennis is an extremely high volume sport. The amount of serves and groundstrokes tennis players hit weekly is a ridiculous amount.
Because of this, players obviously need to stay healthy and get the right type of strength supplement off the court.

The floor press I’m demonstrating here is a really good upper body press variation for tennis players because it protects the shoulders and can minimize wear and tear. The floor prevents the upper arm from dropping lower than chest level which keeps the shoulders in a much less vulnerable position.

There’s a time and a place for most exercises. But, it’s important to know why you’re doing a particular exercise, what your performance goals are, what the sport requires, and the best way to improve performance while staying healthy and able to play at a high level.

10/06/2021

When you’re dealing with injuries or returning from injury assisted jumps are a great way to ease back into high impact sport.

I’ve been dealing with an Achilles issue so I’m using this pogo jump regression to off-load some of my weight at impact. Assisted jumps allow me to start jumping and landing sooner than I would be able to with my full bodyweight.
The resistance of the band allows me to be lighter at contact which will decrease the landing forces I have to absorb and redirect.

We all know how hard a tennis court is on the body so it is important to progress back to play in a way that is going to allow you to avoid immediate re-injury upon return.

09/30/2021

When coming out of a split-step, tennis players need to be able to quickly put force into the ground without collapse in order to change direction for their next shot.
This rear foot elevated foot pop is an awesome way to build strength, stability, and stiffness in the lower leg.

You’re looking for a fairly vertical shin and want to make sure your heel stays off of the ground so you can really target the intrinsic foot muscles, ankle, and calves. Try to get as many ground contacts as you can in 15 seconds

09/29/2021

09/15/2021

Like I talked about in a previous post, tennis players have to have a great ability to accelerate in order to be able to perform at a high level.
Improve your acceleration ability with different starting positions like the 1/2 kneeling start. This is a great way to hit the proper positions needed for ideal acceleration.

The body wants to get up as fast as possible and the best way to do that is to drive out in proper acceleration mechanics without having the athlete think too much about it.